Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up

 

 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.  When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.  And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  

 

So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

 

- John 2:13–22 

 

Yesterday we read that, on the sixth day given of Christ's newly-beginning public ministry, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.  Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.  And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me?  My hour has not yet come."  His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.  Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water."  And they filled them up to the brim.  And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast."  And they took it.  When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.  And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior.  You have kept the good wine until now!"  This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.  After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days. 

 

  Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.  When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.  And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."   Here in today's reading is another distinctive element of St. John's Gospel.  In the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) this cleansing of the temple occurs at the end of Christ's ministry.  But John places it here right at the beginning.  There are certain patristic commentaries which teach that Christ performed this act twice.  This is the first of three Passover feasts included in St. John's Gospel; it's one way that we know His public ministry lasted three years.  In this incident, those who sold oxen and sheep and doves were trading live animals to be used for sacrifices.  Sacrifices were a true function of the temple, meant to be part of communal meals "setting right" the people with their God and community, a part of the amelioration of the effects of sin, and the understanding of righteousness.  The money changers traded Roman coins for Jewish coins, since Roman coins bore the image of Caesar (worshiped as a god) and were considered defiling in the temple.  Christ's cleansing of the temple is about the corruption which had become endemic and penalized the poor, the greed and hypocrisy of the religious leaders.  My study Bible comments that the cleansing of the temple also points to the necessity that the Church be kept from earthly pursuits.  As each person is considered a temple of God, it notes (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), it is also a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters.  The disciples remember "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up" as written in Psalm 69:9.

 

 So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.  My study Bible explains that, since Jesus is not a Levitical priest, His authority to cleanse the temple is challenged.  In St. John's Gospel, the term Jews is meant most often to refer specifically to the religious leaders.  In this case, it refers to the chief priests and the elders (see Matthew 21:23).  It's important to remember that all the people in this story are devout Jews, including Jesus, His disciples, and the author of this Gospel.  As Christ is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, my study Bible says, He answers in a hidden way.  The ultimate sign will be His death and Resurrection.

 

The Gospel presents us today with an interesting contrast between what is hidden and what is not.  Here Jesus performs a very open and public act, one which would clearly garner much attention, as it is openly done against the system of the temple and its leadership.  The first question that opens itself up in this circumstance is one of authority, and it is there where the religious authorities zero in and begin to ask Jesus questions.  He needs to prove He has the authority to do this, and show them a sign to do so, as some sort of extraordinary proof of God's presence.  Well, Jesus is not going to do that, and He openly tells them so.  He's not going to give signs and proofs because unfaithful people demand it of Him.  Christ's signs and miracles come to the faithful.  Importantly, as our reading today deals with sacrifices, Christ's signs come in fulfillment of righteousness and communion between God and the faithful, God's people, and through the power and will of God -- not on demand by scoffers or hypocrites whose minds are already made up against Him.  And yet, we've just read (in yesterday's reading, above) about the first sign of St. John's Gospel, the turning of water to wine at the wedding in Cana.  Here was, in a sense, a "quiet" miracle, a sign given through the prompting (or intercession) of Christ's mother.  They had run out of wine at the wedding, and so this first sign of God's extraordinary presence occurred in the 30 gallon stone waterpots filled with water for cleansing, and it was transformed into the best wine.  Note the contrast between that almost private community affair of the wedding (and those who knew and understood about the wine) and this busy Passover festival, with all the noise and hustle and bustle of pilgrims purchasing sacrifices, and the money changers exchanging coins.  It must have presented quite an extraordinary and even cacophonous scene.  There can be no doubt of the attention which Christ's action would have brought upon Himself from both religious leadership and the people.  Now the power of human religious authority will focus its attention in Him, the One who has now challenged that authority with this act of cleansing the temple, and we already know where it will all lead (as Jesus forewarned His mother in quoting the widow Zarephath's question to Elijah in response to Mary's prompting about the wine -- see yesterday's reading and commentary; also 1 Kings 17:17-18).  Here is another riddle, another mystery of our faith?  How is a "sign" hidden?  How is the Christ hidden in plain sight?  How are the religious leaders blind, while the disciples and John the Baptist see?  How is Christ a temple, and so are we?  These are all questions we must begin to ponder and to consider as the Gospel unfolds.  Like the three days He was hidden in the tomb, so we understand the power of God at work, even though we may be completely unaware.

 

 

 

 

And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day

 

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

 

- John 6:27–40 

 

 Yesterday we read that, after the feeding of the five thousand men (and more women and children) in the wilderness, when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

 

  "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  This is an interesting understanding, that Christ teaches that to pursue our faith is to work the works of God.  It indicates that faith is much more than simply an acceptance of an idea or believe.  The root of faith in the Greek of the Gospels means "trust."  To trust in Christ is to walk the journey of faith with Him, to follow His commandments, and to grow in that faith in all the ways that we might.  

Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  In yesterday's reading (above), Christ said Himself that these people had followed Him not because they saw His signs, but because they had been filled with the loaves, after which they tried to make Him king by force (see Wednesday's reading).  Here Christ's statement is affirmed; although He fed them miraculously in the wilderness, they demand a sign.  

Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  My study Bible says of Christ's own will:  Since He has two natures, Christ has two wills -- the divine will and a human will.  At the Sixth Ecumenical Council, which was held at Constantinople (AD 680-681), it was proclaimed that these two wills of Christ do not work contrary to one another.  Instead, "His human will follows, not resisting nor reluctant, but subject to His divinity and to His omnipotent will."  

In today's reading, Jesus clearly emphasizes the unity of wills between Father and Son.  He says, "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  According to St. John Chrysostom, Jesus clearly states that it is His will as Son -- and therefore clearly the will of the Father -- that all are saved for this everlasting life He offers.  It stands to reason, then, he comments that neither faith nor unbelief are in some sense accidental, that faith is willed by the Father and the Son so that all are saved, because it is for this purpose that Christ in Incarnate in the world as a human being.  But unbelief also is not accidental, because it implies a denial or refusal of the Father's will.  In considering these things, it is imperative also that we think about the qualities that pertain to this everlasting life, this life to which we might be raised with Him through our faith.  Everlasting life pertains to a quality that is not simply about the temporal life we experience stretching on and on into eternity.  It pertains instead to a completely different quality or experience of life altogether, one outside of the moments in time we experience one after another.  In this sense, "everlasting" life is a quality of life which is independent of time.  According to HELPS Word-studies, this is life which is "simultaneously outside of time, inside of time, and beyond time."  In particular, it is the "unique quality (reality) of God's life at work in the believer," as God may manifest God's life within us.  In other words, this quality of grace permeates the meaning and values of what it is to experience everlasting life, and even as we live our lives in this world, as faithful, we may partake and experience this quality of life.  As such, there are gifts of the Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12), there is fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), there are diverse experiences of grace that permeate the life of the Church and her saints, and may be experienced by us all.  If this "everlasting" life is really a quality of the fullness of what God's life means, then how may we experience this -- even a taste of it -- as faithful?  An insight given in prayer is part of that life, what seems like miraculous coincidences experienced by the faithful are a part of that life, a sense of depth of insight into another person or a seemingly impossible solution to a problem is also a part of that life, and these experiences are numerous among the lived life of the faithful.  An everlasting life (meaning quite literally in Greek the quality of being age-long as opposed to fleeting life we know in this world) is an indication, then, of fullness, relating to concepts of growing into something until no more growth is possible.  An "end" or "finish" in this sense means everything has expanded to its fullest extent.  That would be the life of the "end" in which Christ unites with His Bride, the Church, the raising up at the last day.  But as faithful we should consider what the bread of heaven, given to us in the Church, particularly in the Eucharist, and as the life of faith we may live even in this world, adds to our lives as a quality that transforms and changes our experience of our worldly or earthly lives.  We should consider what this "everlasting" quality is that touches our lives.  Jesus speaks of the grace we receive by living this life of faith ourselves, in the Sermon on the Plain reported by St. Luke:  "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:37-38).  To grasp a life of faith, then, to cherish the bread of life He offers, is to enter into and to participate in something far beyond ourselves, and to let this kingdom of heaven grow within us (Matthew 13:31-32).  Let us enter into, participate in, and cherish the life He offers, and grow in the path He opens, to an everlasting life, even to the last day.

 

Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!

 

 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.  When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all  out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.  And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. 

 

- John 2:13–22 

 

Yesterday we read that, on the sixth day given of seven in John's Gospel, telling the story of the beginning of Christ's public ministry, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.  Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.  And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me?  My hour has not yet come."  His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.  Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water."  And they filled them up to the brim.  And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast."  And they took it.  When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.  And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior.  You have kept the good wine until now!"  This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.  After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

 

  Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Today's reading gives us the story of the cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem.  In the synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this event occurs at the end of Christ's ministry.  But John places it at the beginning, which sets a strong tone for the Gospel.  My study Bible notes that some patristic commentary holds that Christ performed this act twice.   John's Gospel gives us three occasions on which Jesus participates in the Passover festival during Jesus' ministry, teaching us that His ministry lasted three years.  

 

 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.  When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all  out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.  And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  Those who sold oxen and sheep and doves were trading in live animals to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers would trade Roman coins for Jewish coins, since Roman coins bore the image of Ceasar and were considered to be defiling in the temple.  John gives us the detail that Jesus made a whip of cords, giving us an image of His decisive and strong action here.  It is also here in John's account that we're told the disciples remembered the words of the Psalm:  "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up" (Psalm 69:9), also giving us a picture of the strength and energy of Jesus.  My study Bible reminds us that the cleansing of the temple points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  Additionally, as each person is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19), it is a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters.  Jesus' energetic and decisive response is reminiscent of His language illustrating decisive action to separate ourselves from sin (see for example Matthew 18:8-9).

So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.   As Jesus is not a Levitical priest, His authority to cleanse the temple is challenged by the religious leaders.  My study Bible reminds us that by the time of John's Gospel, early Jewish Christians had been subject to persecution.  Hence the term "the Jews" is used most often as a political term here, and does not mean the Jewish people.  It is most frequently used specifically to refer to the Jewish leadership at the time of Christ.  In this case, it's referring to the chief priests and the elders (see Matthew 21:23).  We would do well to remember that Jesus and all of His disciples, including the author of this Gospel, were Jews.  My study Bible comments that, as Christ is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, HE answers in a hidden way  the ultimate sign will be His death and Resurrection.  These words, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" will be twisted and used against Him by false witnesses at His trial (Matthew 26:60-61).

 

Today's reading gives us an image of Christ that is dynamic and powerful.  In the cleansing of the temple, it shows Him as a man who is ready to take decisive action, and who can use strength for the right purposes.  Many people seem to get the impression from Christ's preaching, such as in the Sermon on the Mount (where we are taught, for example, to pray for our enemies), that Jesus was a man of very passive nature.  But to see Christ this way is not to understand Him or His strength, or even His teaching in a full perspective.  To know Christ is to know the great and true passion and dynamism in Him, even in the way that the disciples understand the line from the Psalm, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."   In Matthew 5:5, we read iJesus teaching (in NKJV English), "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."  In Matthew 11:29, we read Him saying, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."    "Meek" in the first case, and "gentle" in the second case, are both translated from the same Greek word.  That word is πραΰς/prays (pronounced pra-EES).  This can also mean humble, but it is more than that.  It indicates not weakness, as is often imaged by English translations, but rather God's exercising strength under God's control.  That is (according to HELPS Word-Studies), "demonstrating power without undue harshness."  This kind of gentleness is a blend of both reserve and strength.  So John's picture of the dynamic Jesus here gives us a fullness of Christ we're apt to miss at times.  Although He comes into the world as a human being without social or material power, He is the Incarnate Son.  As such, He manifests and pronounces judgment and justice.  Therefore His actions in the temple represent this, as do His powerful words to the religious leaders as well -- see Matthew 23 for His vivid critique of their habits.  This is not a shrinking violet, not the meekness of someone who shows any fear whatsoever, but the supreme confidence of One who takes absolute nature and strength and judgment from God (and who is God), and One who has come into the world to show us what that is ("He who has seen Me has seen the Father" - John 14:9).  If we are to model Christ in our lives, we must take an understanding from the fullness of what we are taught in the Gospels, and our understanding must come not from contradiction between strength and meekness, but from a comprehension of what grace is and does, and the power of God's truth and judgment.  Moreover, the phrase "strength under control" could serve as a model for what real discipleship will make of us.  Above all, we rely on God, as does Jesus in the example He sets before us.  This is where we take confidence, and where Christ derives His supreme confidence.  In one other example of this we might note, when Jesus is arrested in Gethsemane, He says to His disciple who took up a sword, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?" (Matthew 26:52-54).  In citing the "more than twelve legions of angels" Jesus reminds us all of who He is, of His strength that He has available to Him.  But we are given to understand yet again that He is the Son of Man, on a mission, and that mission must be fulfilled as the supreme command for Him; it is the line He will not cross.  Let us understand meekness and gentleness not as weakness but as power under grace, strength under God's command -- a reserve that knows its boundaries and mission, with discipline and ultimate service.  Let us not be like those who cannot see for their blindness to God's grace.

 

This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day

 

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."   Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

"For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

 

- John 6:27–40 

 

Yesterday we read that when evening came, Christ's disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.   But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."   

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."   It is important that we understand that Jesus is saying that to believe in Him, who is sent by God, is the work of God. 

 

Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."   Let us take notice that the first thing the people do is demand a sign, even though they are the same people who were miraculously fed in the wilderness from five barley loaves and two small fish (see Monday's reading).   But rather than directing the people back to the sign which they've just received, Jesus directs them to God the Father who sent Him.  He explains clearly that it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven, but rather the Father who gives the true bread from heaven -- even to them.   For even as the bread from heaven was given by God the Father to Moses and the Israelites, so God the Father has sent the bread of God who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.   Notice the comparison between the words of the people, "Lord, give us this bread always," and the words of the Samaritan woman in chapter 4:  "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

 

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."   Jesus clearly calls Himself the bread of life.   And this bread of life is clearly linked to faith.  Once more it is all linked to the Father; even those who will come to faith in Christ are those whom "the Father gives Me."  We would do well to recall here that Jesus said Peter's confession of faith in Him was revealed not by flesh and blood, but by My Father who is in heaven" (see Matthew 16:16-17).  

"For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  My study bible comments here that Christ has two natures -- and therefore two wills.  That is, the divine will and a human will.  It notes that the Sixth Ecumenical Council, which was held at Constantinople (AD 680-681), proclaims these two wills of Christ do not work contrary to one another, but rather "His human will follows, not resisting nor reluctant, but subject to His divinity and to His omnipotent will."  

Christ gives extra emphasis on the bonds and promises of God for those who believe in Him.  First, He proclaims, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."   Further down He repeats, giving yet another new emphasis:  "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day."  He makes a promise:  "He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst," meaning that this food is imperishable, and will always nourish us.  And finally there is this additional promise:  "And this is the will of him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  All who are given to Christ by the bond of faith through which the Father gives to Him will by no means be lost or cast out, and He will lose nothing of all the Father has given to Him.   Moreover, this bread is for eternal life.  In Christ's words there is a picture of a tremendous circle of communion, in which we are not only given to Christ through our faith which the Father gives to us ... but also we will be held and never lost.  Moreover to be held in this circle or communion of faith is to be promised a bond and nourishment which will sustain eternal life.  It is a kind of eternal circle of communion, expanding and teaching us what it is to be held in God's steadfast love and mercy, an understanding already running throughout all of Jewish spiritual history, notably through the Psalms of King David, and now made more explicitly and fully manifest through Jesus, the Son of Man.  Of course, we are endowed with free will as human beings, and so we also may destroy relationships of all kinds through sin.  But on the part of God the Holy Trinity, the promise is absolutely steadfast and eternal, and given to us so explicitly here in the words of Christ.  He is the bread of heaven, a bread which is given for eternal life, and so that nothing might be lost of all that the Father has given to Him.  Its nourishment is inexhaustible, its supply always there for us.  Let us receive that bread in all the ways available to us, for our real nourishment!

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  They said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' "  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

- John 6:27-40

On Saturday we read that when evening came, Jesus' disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come with them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing ear the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

  "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  They said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."   We recall the recent events of John's Gospel:  He has fed 5,000 men, and more women and children, in the wilderness.  The people have pursued Him across the Sea of Galilee, and He has eluded them, because they wished to take Him by force and make Him king.  Here, He sets out the difference between what they pursue (the earthly food with which they were fed by Him) and what is truly worthwhile for which they should labor.  And that is a particular kind of food which endures to everlasting life.  How does one do this labor?  How does one work the works of God?   That work, in Jesus' words, is to believe in Him whom He sent.

Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' "  My study bible has explained that John's chapter 6 is filled with parallels to the Exodus of Israel from Egypt.  Here, like the Israelites following Moses, the people complain.  Although Christ has already fed them miraculously by multiplying the loaves and fishes (see this reading), they ask for a sign so that they can believe in Him.  He has already remarked at Capernaum, in chapter 4, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe" (in this reading).  Here He is, back in Capernaum, and again the people demand a sign, citing the bread from heaven given to the Israelites, to Jesus who has just fed them bread in the wilderness.

Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Jesus gives a direct parallel of the gift of God which was the manna, to the true bread from heaven, which is Christ Himself.  Of Himself, He says that He gives life to the world. 

Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."  Here we get down to the nature of faith.  Does it come by signs?  Through worldly understanding?  Or somewhere else?  My study bible cites Christ's words as teaching us about His two natures, divine and human.  It says that since He has two natures, He also has two wills:  a divine will and a human will.  At the Sixth Ecumenical Council (Constantinople, AD 680-681), it was proclaimed that the two wills of Christ do not work contrary to one another, but rather "His human will follows, not resisting nor reluctant, but subject to His divinity and to His omnipotent will."  As follow Christ giving His human will over to the divine, so we in turn find faith through such action within ourselves, a true willingness to seek God who is the ultimate truth, which John's Gospel speaks of also as light (see John 3:20-21).

"This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  Here is the highest goal Jesus gives that is set for Him by the will of the Father who sent Him:  that of all which is given to Him He will lose nothing, but will raise it up at the last day.  And here is Christ's elaboration of that will:  that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and the Son will raise them up at the last day.

Jesus' final words are quite striking:  "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  Perhaps a modern first question after this statement would be, well, what about those who haven't seen the Son?  We can just imagine what it would be like to actually have seen Jesus in person, to sense His presence, and character, and power -- or even to have been present to see one of His signs.  But John's Gospel anticipates this question, for in chapter 20 Jesus tells Thomas (who insisted on seeing the place where Christ was pierced on the Cross):  "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (20:29).  Today's reading opens up this issue of belief or faith.  How do we come to it?  Of what does it really consist?  John's Gospel frequently speaks of darkness and light:  that the light is what Christ brings, and the darkness represents the forces which are against the light.  The light is paralleled with life, light, truth, and Christ.  Darkness is also an image for ignorance, deliberate denial of ignorance or truth, and evil (which is also referenced as death).  The darkness, it is important to understand, is not a force in itself but is actually the absence of light.  As free creatures, we have the choice to remain ignorant of the light, and to deliberately refuse it and the gift of life Christ offers.  But where does faith come from?  How do we come to that light?  What is the act of will that seeks the light of spiritual truth?  It seems to me that it comes down to a question of whether or not one seeks a truth that is higher that what one understands already -- and that truth is the Person of God and all that God represents and enfolds.  It is a question that comes down to a basic kind of selfishness:  is truth only what my preferences determine it should be, or is truth something I might need to learn more about, and that may change me and my perspective?  And there we come down to a question of will, which is explicitly addressed by Jesus in today's reading.  Jesus teaches:  "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."  As followers of and believers in Christ, so we are asked in turn to do the same, to seek that will that is beyond ours.  We seek the truth, life, and light He offers -- and in so doing, seek to conform our will to that greater light that shows us where to go, how to change, and how to adjust our thinking to truths that are beyond us but which beckon and call to us to participate in that light and will.  Jesus comes first, as Son of Man, both human and divine, the Christ who conforms His human will to the divine, so that we may follow and do likewise.  He lives as one of us in order to show us the way, and to offer us the light that is life eternal.  It is through our faith that we become part of what the Father gives to Him, and so that we may united in Him and be raised up with all that is His.  This is the work of faith, of belief, as Jesus puts it.  These concepts are great and transcendent, not simple to grasp.  But in the heart, there is a basic truth:  do we have all the answers we want, or do we need to seek something beyond what we already know?  There is the light that calls to us deep within ourselves, and that is the light of life and the way of Christ. Therein is the work of faith.

This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from the heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

- John 6:27-40

Yesterday we read that when evening came (after the feeding in the wilderness), His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except the one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from the heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  We see the point of view of the people:  they are impressed by signs and power, but moreover they especially look to Christ because of the bread with which He fed them when they were hungry.  But Christ tries to turn their minds to faith.  When they ask, What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? Jesus enforces purely a "work of faith," so to speak:  This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.   Yet again, they demand a tangible sign in order to do so.  They quote from Scripture, Exodus 16:4, Nehemiah 9:15, Psalm 78:24-25, regarding the bread from heaven.   Jesus points back to the Father, the true source of the bread from heaven, and Himself as that very bread of God.

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."   Once again, even in declaring Himself to be the bread of life, Christ emphasizes the unity between Himself and the Father.  It is those whom the Father gives Him that He seeks.   He is the bread of life come down from heaven, not to do His own will but the will of the Father.   My study bible notes here that since Christ has two natures, He has two wills -- the divine will and a human will.  At the Sixth Ecumenical Council, held at Constantinople in 680-681, it was proclaimed that these two wills of Christ do not work contrary to one another, but that "His human will follows, not resisting nor reluctant, but subject to His divinity and to His omnipotent will."   Jesus emphasizes the will of the Father, which directs all that He Himself does as Son of God and Son of Man:  the bread of life must lose nothing which the Father has given Him but rather raise it up; that is, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

When Jesus speaks of everlasting life, one can't help but remember the stories of Jesus' Resurrection and the associated appearances to the disciples before His Ascension into heaven.  Jesus speaks of raising up all that the Father has given Him.   What does this mean?  We think of "all that the Father has given Him" as all those who are believers.  But reviewing the stories of the risen Christ who appeared to the disciples, we may expand our perspective on what this means.  In chapter 20, it is Mary Magdalene who first sees the risen Christ (20:14-18).  The quite odd and striking thing about this story is that she doesn't recognize Him, until He calls her name.  This gives us a clue that this isn't just the Jesus who's had a ministry in Israel, but rather Christ who is preparing to ascend into heaven, in a different kind of body that is more than His human body.  Next He appears to the disciples (20:19-29), and the text tells us specifically that He showed them His hands and His side (verse 20).  Then, in order to "hammer home" (so to speak) the point, the text tells us that Thomas had not been there when Christ made His appearance to His disciples, and Thomas specifically says, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe" (verse 25).  After eight days, John tells us, Jesus appeared again to them all, and tells Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing" (verse 27).  All of this is to explicitly emphasize that the experiences of the human Christ are also raised in His Ascension.  We can specifically conclude that "all that [the Father] has given Me" includes not simply our persons as believers, but also those experiences and actions in the world that go with us as we have sought to live our faith.  Let us consider all that the Father gives Him.  The Greek word for "all" in the text doesn't mean every person; it is a word that means everything. It is my view that the Gospel is teaching us that nothing is lost of life lived in faith.  Everything touched by faith in Christ has life in it, is given life, because it becomes a part of the substance of truth.  Therefore this bread of life becomes something that conveys life to the world in the broadest and deepest sense.  What it touches in faith becomes imbued with an essence in the way that the Eucharist is a "super-essential" bread for the new day of the Lord.  Christ, as the bread of heaven, has the power to imbue all things with life -- even as the Church testifies historically to the holiness not just of persons but even of objects which have been touched by those working in faith.  What is touched by Christ and used within the Body of Christ is endowed with a capacity for life that is more than a worldly understanding of life, and this of course is a picture of the Eucharist itself.  We can't really fathom these mysteries.  We don't know Christ's Ascended life, and we can't imagine even the worldly capacities of holy people and holy things, and what life is carried through faith and what it can do.  But we may have the testimonies of people whose lives have been touched by Christ who is the bread of life, who have experienced "more" than the life they knew, their own personal experiences of a resurrection in their own lives:  a second chance, a new identity given through faith, and maybe the most potent of all -- a changed experience of life itself, a transformed and transcendent gift they could not have imagined was a possibility.  Through faith we may find a strength we didn't think we had the capacity for, a new start and new hope in what seemed like a hopeless circumstance, a new day in what was a sea of darkness.  We just don't know what the life He holds for us can give -- our worldly perspective not capable of discerning all the possibilities of the life He offers.     The powerful life Christ has to give isn't only about the fact that we breathe and have consciousness; it is also what we do in faith, our experience of living with His love and acting in His name.  Even -- if we believe the story of His appearance to the disciples -- our suffering for our faith will be a part of what is raised with us.  Let us consider the power of His life that He offers to us, and all that it may mean for our worldly capacity to truly live the life of the Kingdom, even here and now.